The small, precise, or trivial details of something, minutiae.
In a world of rapid technological evolution, I am torn between the latest gadgets and my trusty, albeit outdated, devices. My friend, an early adopter, tempts me with cutting-edge tech, while I stick to my Windows 10 machines, aware their days are limited. All Versions of Windows, other than 11, will lose support after October 14, 2025. If you have hardware that limits your ability to upgrade you can either buy new equipment – who can afford that, or change operating systems.
My solution? Linux.
I have been a full-time Linux operating system user in the past, so my choice is easy—go back to Linux. This means ridding myself of Windows and other programs like Google Browser (you can choose to run Google Browser on Linux). Yes, I know all my bookmarks, and “Bookmarks” will easily import into Firefox, but honestly, I don’t keep them “well” organized. So many other things need a higher level of organization as well, but to start I am going through and better organizing all of my “bookmarks”. Another very tedious processes worth doing. I mean, other than Cyndi Ingle, who updates their bookmarks?
Cyndi’s Filing Fridays Series in the Genealogy Squad Facebook Group is a series on how to organize (everything). <— You must be a member of the Facebook group to use this link. If you are not a member, search for the group on Facebook, and send a join request. Once approved, you can use the search feature in the group for “Filing Fridays”. You should see a listing of all the posts in the series.
Some things to keep in mind for a Windows 10 to Linux Switch
A seamless switch in operating systems is always a practice in patience and attention to detail. The Minutiae, The small, precise, trivial details are important. Take your time, get organized and make the change fun. Especially if buying all new equipment is out of the question.
- Make a List of your programs, tools and games
- Do a backup of your important files to a separate drive
- Find the right Distro (version of Linux). Mint is Touted as the most user friendly and “out of the box” version. It is a great starter version for the Windows user.
- Do a little research on the Linux based version of your programs, tools and games, too – Like Open Office for Office 365
- If, like me, you have a couple of Windows specific programs you need to run you can create a dual boot system. Or try using a program, like WINE to run Windows programs in Linux
- Checking if a game will run on Linux? Try https://www.protondb.com/ . Steam is available on Linux
- Once you are organized load Linux to your computer. It’s easy to do and there is a full guide available for each Distro. Linux Mint Guide
This is not intended as a complete guide to switching from Windows to Linux. If you have more information, ideas, links to share or suggestions, please do so in the comments.
Rest in peace, my Asus convertible netbook. Although it has the absolute minimum RAM and GB to run Linux, it won’t boot from a Linux USB boot drive. Shame that. We will share our last call at Roots Tech 2025.
The small, precise, or trivial details of something, minutiae.
“Gramps is a free software project and community. We strive to produce a genealogy program that is both intuitive for hobbyists and feature-complete for professional genealogists. It is a community project, created, developed, and governed by genealogists.” Gramps – Gramps-Project.org
I’m passionate about genealogical collaboration. Working as a team, supporting others, and engaging in both traditional and genetic genealogy has significantly enriched my research. As a dedicated WikiTreer, I contribute to building the most accurate global family tree—one that starts with a single profile per person who ever lived. And because I believe in free and open resources, the combination of collaborative genealogy and powerful, open-source software is an absolute win for me!
I first discovered Gramps back in 2001, and it worked seamlessly right out of the box. While it’s a Linux-based program, I’ve used it on Windows for years and have also run it on Linux. After joining WikiTree in 2013, I started backing up my research by exporting GEDCOM files from WikiTree and using Gramps to generate detailed reports and visualizations.
As a genealogist with older hardware and limited funds for constant upgrades, I’m making a strategic shift back to Linux. I’ll still keep one Windows laptop for compatibility, but Linux will be my primary platform moving forward. For more on my transition, check out my Big Move post!
Recommend For a Genealogists Linux Switch
- Linux Mint – Operating System – Linux Distribution
- Wine – a compatibility layer capable of running Windows applications
- Bottles or Proton – User interfaces for Wine
- GRAMPS – GRAMPS-Project.org very robust genealogy program Windows and Linux
The featured image for this post created by Elementer AI